Is vocalizing the Greek words and sentences important? If so, how should Greek be pronounced (what arguments can be made for one pronunciation over another or others?) How can I write Greek characters clearly and legibly?

In pronouncing Greek words and in writing (at the end of the line) the rules commonly observed are these:

a. A single consonant standing between two vowels in one word belongs with the second vowel: ἄ-γω, σο-φί-ζω.

b. Any group of consonants that can begin a word, and a group formed by a stop with μ or ν, and by μν, belongs with the second vowel: τύ-πτω, ὄ-γδοος, ἄ-στρον, ἔ-χθος; πρᾶ-γμα, ἔ-θνος, λί-μνη.

c. A group of consonants that cannot begin a word is divided between two syllables: ἄν-θος, ἐλ-πίς, ἔρ-γμα. Doubled consonants are divided: θάλατ-τα.

d. Compounds divide at the point of union: εἰς-φέρω, προς-φέρω; ἀν-άγω, εἰσάγω, συν-έχω. (But the ancients often wrote ἀ-νάγω, εἰ-σάγω, προ-σελθεῖν, ἐ-ξάγω, δυ-σάρεστος.)

e. ς, when followed by one or more consonants, is either attached to the preceding vowel (ἄ-ρις-τος), or, with the consonant, begins the following syllable (ἄ-ρι-στος). (The ancients were not consistent, and there is evidence for the pronunciation ἄ-ρις-στος.)

f. The ancients divided ἐκ τούτου as ἐ-κ τού-του. This practice is now abandoned.

GlennDean wrote:So it almost seems like the syllabification of the word has the "original" letters:

κηρύξω is the future tense: κηρύγ + σ + ω (γ + σ => ξ), but when you syllabify you break it down as

κη-ρύγ-σω (I'm pretty sure the consonant cluster γσ cannot be pronounced together which is why the γ goes with the 2nd syllable???)

OK, I've got to clarify a couple points. There's no original gamma in κηρύσσω. It was originally *κηρύκ-ι-ω, with a consonantal iota present-stem affix. The future is *κηρύκ-σ-ω > κηρύξω. (The gamma in κήρυγμα is due to a voicing of the original κ next to the voiced μ.)

As for syllabification, a rule of thumb is that Greek won't break up consonant clusters if they can begin a word (see rule b that Louis quoted). Since ξ can begin a word, a syllable can begin with ξ.

The question is 'who are you listening to?'. We all tend to pronounce Greek in a way influenced by our first language. If you listen to Modern Greeks pronouncing Greek, λέ-ξεις and κη-ρύ-ξω is exactly how they pronounce it. I am not sure where you got "kay reik so" for κηρύξω, unless by 'reik' you mean 'reek'. In Classical and Koiné Greek 'υ' was pronounces as German ü or french 'u' in 'tu', and in Modern Greek as 'ee'.

klriley wrote:The question is 'who are you listening to?'. We all tend to pronounce Greek in a way influenced by our first language. If you listen to Modern Greeks pronouncing Greek, λέ-ξεις and κη-ρύ-ξω is exactly how they pronounce it. I am not sure where you got "kay reik so" for κηρύξω, unless by 'reik' you mean 'reek'. In Classical and Koiné Greek 'υ' was pronounces as German ü or french 'u' in 'tu', and in Modern Greek as 'ee'.

I unfortunately don't speak German nor French - my perspective is from an English background. I'm getting "kay reik so" as if writing down what I'm hearing as if it were an English word (so the approximation is probably not so good).

I'm going thru the "Living Koine Greek" books by Dr. Buth - if anyone else has the books I'm getting these words from

GlennDean wrote:I unfortunately don't speak German nor French - my perspective is from an English background. I'm getting "kay reik so" as if writing down what I'm hearing as if it were an English word (so the approximation is probably not so good).